Cowboys Never Cry

Even three years after the death of her husband, Cassie Danner is a wounded woman. She drifts from seasonal job to seasonal job, earning just enough to fend off her creditors and uphold her outdoorsy lifestyle. She accepts a post as a cook on ranch, where she encounters the irascible Robbin McKeag, a famed movie star and the owner's son, who recently returned from a stint in a mental institution. Robbin doesn't just play a cowboy in films; he is an accomplished rancher in real life too. So although the two butt heads from the moment they meet, there's an instant attraction, and eventually a strong bond over wounded pasts. Welling's (Crybaby Ranch) strength is in her main characters: McKeag is an authentically unpleasant leading man, but he has (mostly) legitimate psychological issues to resolve. Danner is, of course, extremely sympathetic and readers will warm to her right away. While the rest of the characters quickly fall into supporting clichés, they are at least well intentioned. All and all, a pleasant romance. (Oct. 5)